Chinese Festivals
by MondaysAreBoring
Summary: The stories of the anthology would be based off traditional chinese holidays. They are chronological, and the updates would only happen during the holidays. Contains TiPo (and tons of fluff).
1. Winter Solstice

**This story is based on the chinese celebration of the winter solstice festival (dong zhi), which is held every year in December. This anthology of one shots will be following the story line, and will only be updated during major chinese holidays (the next story will be up around chinese new year). Special thanks to 3431jess for helping with the story, I really appreciated it. Anyways, enjoy the story.**

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Today is the winter solstice festival, which was celebrated every year by the Chinese community. On this day, people would gather their family members and have a feast. One dish that would be made for this special occasion would be glutinous rice balls (tang yuan), which symbolizes reunion. The feast would be prepared in the day, and Po was supposed to be helping his fathers down at the village during sunrise. Unsurprisingly, the panda had overslept and Tigress decided to wake him up.

"Po! Wake up!"

Startled by the jarring noise, Po opened his eyes as he fell off his bed and groaned loudly. He sat upright with his right hand over his head, only to find Tigress staring downwards at him with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Oh come on….!" He whined, with his eyes still half closed. "There is no training today. It's the winter solstice festival …"

Tigress exhaled loudly, kneeling down and looked into Po's eyes. "Precisely Po. Just as you said." She sounded annoyed.

Po looked at Tigress confusingly, then his eyes widened. He was supposed to wake up earlier than usual and go to the market down at the village to buy the ingredients needed for tonight's celebration. He promised his dads that he would arrive at the restaurant after sunrise, but judging by the amount of light shining into his room, it was already way past sunrise.

"OH NO! I'M LATE!" In a moment of panic, Po scrambled on his feet as he tried to stand up. He grabbed his scarf frantically before rushing out of the student barracks and ran all the way to Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu.

From the kitchen, Mr. Ping looked towards the entrance to find his son heaved and puffed, catching his breath from the sudden exertion.

"Well, about time you came!" The goose shouted at him,"You should be here with the ingredients by sunrise! Look at the time. You're more than late!"

"Sorry Dads, I… uh… " Po stuttered in embarrassment, which made Mr. Ping and Li Shan smiled in amusement. "I'll go get the ingredients now…" Mr. Ping chuckled and showed Po the baskets of vegetables and spices. "It's alright Po. I've already gotten the ingredients."

Po let a consoled sigh, nodding at Mr. Ping while his idle paw went to grab his apron that was hanging on the wall, but Li Shan stopped him. "It's ok son. We've got it under control here. You can go back to the Jade Palace and hang out with the Five." He cajoled. Even Mr. Ping tried to pull Po's apron away from him.

Po was utterly bewildered. "But don't you guys need help? I mean, we ARE celebrating the winter solstice festival with the pandas now, and that's a lot of food to prepare for the feast…"

"Just like we say, it's alright. We got it. You can hang out with your friends. I'm pretty sure you would like to have some alone time with that tiger don't you?" Li Shan smirked teasingly. Po blushed and his grip on the apron absently loosened, which allowed Mr. Ping to pull the apron away from him.

"Yeah Po, go hang out with Tigress. We got the kitchen under control." Mr. Ping hung the apron on the wall and shepherded Po out of the kitchen. "Go on now, have fun with the others. Just be sure to come back and help us with the decorations and table arrangements later before sunset."

Po looked again at Mr. Ping and Li Shan, who was just grinning meaningfully at him. Admitting defeat, he sighed and started walking out of the restaurant. "Hah, fine then, I'll be back later by sunset."

When Po was out of sight, Mr. Ping reentered the kitchen. He took the chopping knife and started chopping up some carrots.

"Do you think we should look for Shifu? Everything has been prepared, hasn't it?" Mr. Ping asked Li Shan, who gave a sigh in response.

"I don't think now's the right time. You know, if we were going to do 'that', we must ensure that that is what he wants. Also, will Shifu agree to it, that is also another issue."

Back at the Jade Palace, Tigress was making breakfast for the others since Po was at the village and the palace chef had returned to his hometown for the winter. She prepared porridge and some side dishes to go with it. As she placed the last dish on the table, Monkey and Mantis entered the kitchen, amused.

"Wow, did you made all of these? Also, where's Po?" Monkey raised his brows in disbelief. Tigress nodded in response. "Yup. Po had gone down to his father's restaurant to help out, so I decided to make breakfast since there is no one in the kitchen."

Crane and Viper entered the kitchen, and the five warriors started having their breakfast. They had their meal in silence until Viper decided to ask a peculiar question.

"Hmm… what happens if your parents arranged you to marry someone you don't know? It's not like it will not happen to us one day… right?" She blurted not towards anyone in particular.

Monkey looked at Viper contemplatively. "If my mother arranged me to marry someone I don't know, I guess I would just have to deal with it." He found himself addressing at an imaginary point on the ground,"It's not something I can fight against since it's our tradition, even when I very much disagree." Then lifted his head up and stared at the ceiling before concluding, "I'll just go with it."

Mantis looked at Monkey and snickered. "Of course you would say something like that since you don't have feelings for anyone at the moment." He stated while leaning closer towards the simian. "I bet you will have a different answer if you have feelings for a particular person, I mean, it would be same with all of us, saying stuff like 'our parents shouldn't interfere with our future and who our spouse are' or something it that sense, right?" The rest nodded in agreement at Mantis' statement, except for Tigress who was focusing her attention at her empty bowl.

"Tigress? TIGRESS?" Viper poked Tigress' arm with her tail, which surprised the tiger. "Is everything alright?" The snake asked with a voice full of concern.

Tigress looked at Viper and immediately shook her head. "I'm fine Viper, just… thinking about something. Excuse me. I'll be at the training hall if you need me." She then stood up and walked towards the Training Hall with four pairs of eyes following her.

"Is there something wrong with her?" Crane asked as he took the tableware on the table and placed the in the basin. Monkey poured some water into the basin and started washing the kitchenware.

"Also, I don't remember Tigress knowing how to cook anything else other than stir-fried tofu. Did someone taught her how to cook?" Mantis inquired, the insect hopped down from the table to allow Viper to clean it. She took a piece of damp cloth and mopped the table with it, removing the food debris and stain on the table.

"I suppose Po taught her how to cook in secret. They have been really close recently, so I wouldn't be surprised if he taught her." Monkey commented while washing the kitchenware and cutleries and passed them to Mantis, who dried them with a cloth.

"Wanna head down to the village for a walk?" Viper suggested as she hung the cloth on a wire. The three males looked at each other and shrugged indecisively but followed her nonetheless.

The four them walked out of the kitchen and bumped into Po as they approached the palace arena.

"Hey… guys…" Po said while he trudged towards the four, gasping for air.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping your dads at the restaurant for tonight's feast?" Crane asked the panda, who stretched his back when he was right in front of the group.

"They said that they got it under control and didn't require my help, so I decided to hang out with you guys. Is Tigress training again?"

"Yeah, she's training. Wanna head down to the village with us?"

Po shook his head and limped slowly towards the training hall. "I'm not going back down again for the second time."He wiped his sweaty face,"You guys go ahead. I'll look for Tigress. Also, the gathering would start after sunset at my dad's restaurant. Be there early."

Po opened the doors to the training hall and saw Tigress going through the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion. She destroyed the last club that was swinging towards her with fluid gracefulness, but immediately stopped when she heard a fanboyish cheering at the sideline.

"Don't you need to help out your dads at the restaurant?" She asked as she walked towards Po.

"My dads said that they got everything under control, and they didn't require my help, so I decided to look for you guys. " He replied casually,"The others had gone down to the village, so I decided to look for you. So, wanna hang out?" His lips curled into an easy smile.

Tigress shook her head before returning to the training mechanisms. "No, I want to train. You can go back to the barracks and have your breakfast if you want to. I don't think you have had any food yet."

Po tried to deny the allegation, but his stomach gurgled in disagreement right when Tigress finished her sentence.

He sighed in defeat and called out to the tiger. "Tigress. You should stop training. It's the winter solstice festival. You should relax. Also, I want you to stop training for today not as a comrade, but as your teacher." Tigress stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Po.

"Well then, what do you want to do, Master?"

The two masters entered the student barracks, with Po going to the kitchen to prepare some tea while Tigress went to her room to get the stones for weiqi*. The two of them sat opposite of each other on the dining table with the board on it as Po poured some tea into Tigress' cup, then into his.

"What made you want to play this game?" Tigress asked curiously as she placed the first stone on the platform. Po set his piece on the platform before taking a sip of tea.

"I thought weiqi is an interesting game since it requires lots of strategic planning to win the game. Also, it is an excellent time-killer." The two of them played the game in silence until Tigress decided to break it.

"Po, what happens if your fathers arranged you to marry someone?" The room fell into a contemplative silence as Po placed his stone on the board, musing on why Tigress suddenly asked such a random question.

"Depends on who I marry, I suppose. If it was someone I have feelings for, then I'll go with it. If it was with someone who I don't know, then I would run away from the ceremony." Tigress chuckled as the portrayal of a panda in complete wedding attire made a run across the valley.

"I know it is a tradition that our parents plan our wedding and stuff," Po continued,"but I do not want to be with a stranger for the rest of my life just because my dad's think I should marry them."

Tigress placed her stone on the board and looked at Po. "You liked someone, don't you?" She said with a small, teasing voice. Feeling the blood coursing up his cheeks, Po looked away to avoid the tiger noticing how red he was.

"It's alright, Po."Tigress smirked in response."Let's just play the game."

Po nervously held his breath while his paw reached for another stone. "Why did you asked that question?"

Tigress met his gaze before returning her attention to the game. "Viper asked us that question. I just wanted to know your opinion, and surprise surprise, that was what I thought too." She stated tonelessly. "I wouldn't want to argue with Master Shifu when that happens, but it seems that being together with a stranger until you die isn't what I wanted." She concluded while placing another stone on the board. The game carried on until noon, where they decided to stop playing and have some lunch.

After their lunch, Tigress went to her bedroom, claiming that she wanted to meditate. She sprawled herself on her mattress while her mind drifted in thought about Viper's question. Years ago, she had already given up the idea of marrying someone and arranged marriage was something she would not consider as an option, for she much rather spent the rest of her mortal existence alone than with a stranger.

Now, however, after Po came into her life, she had a moment of fantasizing what it would be like to marry someone, to have a companion and to be loved. She admitted that she liked the panda in a romantic way and would gladly be his wife. But her pessimist-self argued that the panda might share the same sentiment. Tigress sighed and sat upright in a half lotus position to meditate.

Po, on the other hand, went out of the student barracks where he saw the glimpse of the Grand Master sweeping the thin layer of snow away from the arena. Po decided to approach him.

"Master Shifu, will you be joining us later for the feast?" He asked enthusiastically.

The small Master smiled witnessing Dragon Warrior usual skittishness. "Yes, I will be joining the feast later." He grinned smugly,"In the meantime, why don't you help me clean off the snow on the arena?"His skinny hands passed the broom to Po nonchalantly, not giving any chance for the monochromatic panda to refuse.

Po groaned, but took the broom and began cleaning the arena anyways. Master Shifu smiled softly and walked towards the Dragon Ghetto where he planned to meditate. He had secretly eavesdropped the conversation between Tigress and Po, and a thought formed in his head. He chuckled to himself.

 _It's alright, my daughter. I have already known who your heart has chosen. Until his parents come to me, I will not accept any proposal from anyone else._

After cleaning the arena, Po went down to the village to look for the four. He found them at Dragon Warrior's Noodles and Tofu, helping out with the decorations.

"Hey Po, you're early!" Mr. Ping walked towards Po, grinning widely. "Didn't I say that I need you after sunset?"

"But they are already doing the decorations, isn't it? Is there anything I could help?" Po asked Mr. Ping.

"You can help gathering the pandas at the other side of the village. We are almost done with the preparation, and once the sun sets, the celebration will begin." Li Shan patted Po's back and smiled at him. He returned to the kitchen and started cooking the sweet soup for the glutinous rice balls, dismissing Po to travel to the panda's residence.

"I'll go get Tigress and Master Shifu," Crane announced before flying off towards the Jade Palace.

"Cuddles!" Lei Lei squealed and launched herself towards Po as he approached Grandma Panda's house. Po hugged her affectionately and placed her on his back. He went around the area, spreading the news that his dad had invited them over to Mr. Ping's restaurant, while Viper engrossed in deep conversation with Mei Mei.

As the sun began to set, Po, Viper, and the pandas left for Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu.

When the group reached the restaurant, Crane, Tigress and Master Shifu were just about to enter the restaurant. Lei Lei instantly hopped down from Po's back and dashed towards Tigress.

"Big Stripy Baby!" She blustered while extending her arms. Tigress picked her up, carrying the giggling panda in her arms. Some of the other pandas entered the restaurant, and some of them sat outside the restaurant since there are seats prepared outside the restaurant for the pandas and some of the citizens of the valley.

Po and the Five huddled inside the restaurant, together with Mr. Ping, Li Shan, Master Shifu and some of the valley's citizens.

As soon as the sky grew dark and the lanterns were lit, Po and his fathers started distributing plates of food to every table. Everyone started having their food and conversations filled up the entire dinner.

At the table with the six warriors, Monkey and Mantis were busy planning some pranks, Viper had moved to Mei Mei's table for girl's talk, Crane was eating silently with Tigress and Po.

Bowls of glutinous rice balls with sweet soup were brought out as soon as the main course ended.

Po's fathers and Master Shifu saw Tigress feeding Lei Lei with mother-like passion, while the adorable panda was perching on Po's lap. The three of them acting like a small family and they looked at each other in happiness. When Mr. Ping was about to express his thought, Master Shifu interrupted him. "We'll discuss this matter on another day, but not today."

After the feast had ended and the citizens retreated to their home, Po, the Five, and Master Shifu helped Mr. Ping and Li Shan tidy the restaurant. Mr. Ping and Li Shan thanked the warriors for their assistance. The six warriors saw Po's two father smiled meaningfully Master Shifu before bidding their goodbye. They bewildered at the unusual exchange between the three elders but decided to dismiss it.

When the warriors returned to the Jade Palace, they went into each of their bedrooms, except for two. Tigress was about to get into her quarter when Po stopped her.

"Po, where are we going?" Her voice sounded tired and annoyed, but letting the panda dragged her out of the student barracks, towards the palace arena."I want to sleep. Also, it's freezing out… achoo!" She whined before sneezing loudly. Without much thinking, Po took off the scarf that was around his neck and placed it on her neck. The unexpected act of thoughtfulness made her blush.

"I just want to show you something, Tigress, just a minute." Po strode towards the center of the arena where the delicate snowflake began to fall. He took his inner-peace stance exerted his Chi onto his palms and did a sequence of fluent movement. The snowflake turned into a water droplet during the process but still was still maintained on his palm. As soon as Po placed the water droplet on the frigid earth, the thin layer of snow lit up, illuminating a magnificent display of golden light on the surface of the arena grounds.

"Po… this is beautiful…" Tigress said in awe, and the panda grinned. Po walked towards Tigress and pulled her into a hug.

"Dong zhi jie kuai le, Jiao Hu." Po said in a soft and caring manner.

It took Tigress a few moments to register the hug. But when she did, she hugged him back, matching his sentiment and intonation.

"Dong zhi jie kuai le, A Bao."

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 **weiqi** \- en. wiki/Go_(game) (yeah I didn't know how to explain the game, so I guess I'll just leave the link here)

 **dong zhi jie kuai le** (冬至节快乐)– Happy winter solstice festival (it sounded weird in english, so I just write it out in chinese hanyu pinyin)

 **Jiao Hu** \- Tigress's chinese name

 **A Bao** \- Po's chinese name


	2. New Year's Eve

**This fic is based off the Chinese New Year Eve, which is on the 27th of January this year. This is the day where family members would have a reunion dinner (much like the Winter Solstice, but the New Year's Eve dinner consists of family members who were possibly working outstation or overseas, as they would return to their home country to celebrate the New Year). Enjoy the story!**

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"Alright guys, we're done with today. Take the next three days off and enjoy your return to your hometowns. Dismiss." Po concluded his teachings with the Furious Five, who bowed at their current teacher before exiting the hall. It was New Year's Eve, and the Furious Five were given three and a half days off so they can return to their hometown for the celebration. On the way to the student barracks, The Five chatted loudly. Well, except for Tigress, who stayed silent throughout the whole journey.

"Tigress, aren't you excited for the New Year?" Viper asked enthusiastically at Tigress, who only shrugged.

"Not much. I mean, Master Shifu and I are the only one's in the Jade Palace, and we don't do much. The closest that we were to celebrate it was when the two of us and Master Oogway had our dinner together during New Year's Eve, that's all." The rest of the Five looked at each other, then at Tigress sadly. Just then, Po approached behind the small crowd.

"What's with the sad faces?" Po asked the group, who received sighs from the four warriors.

"She has never celebrated New Year before." Monkey told Po, who later on looked at Tigress sadly.

"Come on guys, it's not that bad, it's just New Year," Tigress said annoyingly.

"I know! Why not join my dads and I for the New Year celebration? We are going to celebrate the New Year's Eve with the pandas back at the village, and Lei Lei would be happy to see you! I'll go look for Master Shifu and ask him for permission." Po ran off towards the Dragon Grotto, assuming that Master Shifu would be meditating there. Tigress sighed and entered the student barracks, while the rest of the Five just stared at the panda who was running.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Mantis asked, only to receive shrugs from the four. They then dismissed the thought and entered their rooms.

Po reached the Dragon Grotto, panting heavily. He saw Master Shifu meditating under the dragon, and didn't want to disturb him. Just as he was about to leave, Master Shifu stopped him.

"Po, I know you're here, what do you need?" Po turned around but he didn't saw Master Shifu. He turned back and there Master Shifu was, standing on his stuff.

"How?" Po looked at Master Shifu, amused. "Nevermind. I just wanted to ask would you and Tigress like to join my dads and me for New Year's Eve dinner. Would you want to?" Po asked, even though he already know the answer. "It's alright if you said no, I just wanna ask…" He then turned his back against Master Shifu, feeling ashamed at his question.

 _With Master Shifu being Master Shifu, he would most probably reject my invitation… why did I even bother asking him…_

Master Shifu eyed Po suspiciously since that is not what a man should do, bringing someone other than their family members to their hometown on this day. But with Po being Po, Master Shifu thought that he genuinely wants Tigress to experience what a proper reunion dinner was about.

"Well Po, I don't see why not." Po couldn't believe what he heard his master had said. He looked at Master Shifu in disbelieve.

"Really Master Shifu? Are you and Tigress joining us?" Master Shifu hopped down from his staff and walked towards Po.

"Only Tigress would be going with you, panda. I have to stay back and guard the Jade Palace since the others are returning to their hometown. I suppose it would be a good experience for Tigress since she hasn't exactly celebrated New Year's Eve before." Master Shifu walked slowly towards the center of the grotto and sat down under the dragon. "If you don't have any more questions, please leave. I want to meditate. Don't disturb me."

Po fist-bumped the air in excitement. He then rushed towards the student barracks to tell Tigress the good news. When Po approached the barracks, he saw the Furious Five carrying their bags with them, saying their goodbyes to one another.

"Hey Po, we will be taking our leave now. Take care during the holidays!" The rest of the four bid goodbye to Po and left the palace, leaving Po and Tigress outside of the student barracks. Both the panda and tiger entered the student barracks, with Po telling Tigress the news.

"Tigress, Master Shifu allowed you to have dinner together with us! Come on, let's pack our stuff and head down to my dad's place." Po went into his room and started packing his backpack, joyfully. Tigress opened the door to her room. Just as she was about to enter, she paused, turned around and faced Po.

"Wait, isn't Master Shifu gonna follow us?" Tigress asked.

"He said if you are going, he has to stay back at the Jada Palace to protect the valley," Po said in response, which only made Tigress frown.

"If that was the case, then I'll stay back with Master Shifu. He's quite old already, and he might need some company." Tigress said as she walked slowly towards Po. Po looked at Tigress and sulked.

"But I wanted you to join us…" He then sighed and continued packing his backpack. Tigress felt guilty when she looked at the panda, who was feeling down.

"Do you really want me to join you and your dads?" Tigress asked Po, who nodded silently in response. "Fine then. I'll follow you for the gathering then." Po looked upwards and saw the tiger smiling faintly at him. He then gave her his signature grin in return.

"Really? Are you joining us? Oh boy, this is going to be awesome!" Po clapped his hands cheerfully. Tigress then left his room and entered her's, and started packing her backpack.

When the two warriors were ready, they left for Dragon Warrior Noddles and Tofu. When they arrived there, they were greeted by Mr. Ping and Li Shan.

"Po! You're here!" Mr. Ping greeted Po enthusiastically. He then noticed Tigress trailing behind the panda, looked at Li Shan and the two fathers grinned.

"Oh yeah. I was wondering, would it be alright if Tigress joined us for the reunion dinner?" Po asked Li Shan, who only grinned at him in return.

"Sure Po. Tigress can join us for the reunion dinner. The more the merrier!" Po looked at Tigress and smiled. The tiger felt her cheeks heat up, but she ignored the feeling. Mr. Ping placed a notice at the entrance of the restaurant, did some final checkings, and the four of them left for the panda village.

The journey to the village was quiet most of the time, as the four of them wanted to reach the village as soon as possible. They arrived at the village at around sunset and was amazed by the decorations made to the village. Lanterns were hung everywhere, spring couplets were placed beside the door frame of every house, and there was a huge table at the village square.

"What's the table for?" Po looked at the table, puzzled.

"This table is only brought out during large gatherings, and the reunion dinner is one of them. This table will be able to fit everyone in this village, and any guest that dropped by the village during this time. I know people usually have dinner with their family, but we pandas celebrate the New Year's Eve together." Li Shan stated as the group of four strolled towards Grandma Panda's house.

"Grandma, we're here!" Li Shan shouted. After a few moment's of silence, an old panda emerged from the house.

"Li Shan, good to see you. I see that you've brought your son and Mr. Ping." She then spotted Tigress standing behind Po, staring onto the ground. She smiled and yelled into the house.

"Lei Lei! Stripy baby is here!" Tigress perked up and saw the old panda grinning at her. Suddenly, a smaller panda ran out of the house and clung onto Tigress's right leg.

"Stripy baby!" Lei Lei let out a giggle, which made Tigress smiled in happiness. She then lifted the toddler and hugged her.

"I missed you, Lei Lei!" Lei Lei snuggled her head onto Tigress's chest. Tigress looked at the toddler, and a warm sensation started to form in her chest.

"Ever since we brought her back days after the winter solstice festival, she had been asking 'When am I going to see stripy baby?' again and again. I certainly didn't expect you to show up during New Year's Eve. Did I missed something?" Grandma eyed Li Shan and Mr. Ping suspiciously, who shook their head vigorously. Po and Tigress looked at the interaction between the three confusingly but decided to ignore it.

After having a short conversation with the elder, Mr. Ping and Po went to the kitchen to help prepare the dishes for the reunion dinner. Li Shan brought Tigress (who was still carrying Lei Lei) to Mei Mei's house. He knocked on the door, and the pandiva opened the door a few moments later.

"Mei Mei, Tigress will be celebrating the Chinese New Year with us. Would you mind if she stayed at you place for the next few days?" Mei Mei blinked a few time and looked at the tiger.

"Oh, you're here? Sure, you can crash at my house for the next few days." Mei Mei said casually as she invited Tigress into her house. Mei Mei then brought her to a small room with a bed at the corner of the room.

"You'll be sleeping here for the next few days, I guess. If you need anything don't hesitate to look for me. I'll be in my room, which is at the far end of the hall." Tigress entered the room and placed her backpack beside the bed. She sat on the bed and placed Lei Lei on the bed.

"Stripy baby, are you and Cuddles married?" Lei Lei asked Tigress, who started blushing heavily the moment the toddler asked the question.

"No…no. Po and I aren't married… why did you ask anyways?" Tigress stuttered. The toddler then looked into Tigress's eyes with curiosity.

"Grandmama said that girls would only follow their husband to their hometown to celebrate New Year Eve. If you aren't married to Cuddles, why did you follow him here?" Lei Lei asked as she climbed onto Tigress's lap.

"Po wanted me to celebrate the New Year here since I haven't celebrated the New Year before," Tigress told Lei Lei, whose only response was a gasp

"Stripy baby hasn't celebrated New Year before?" Lei Lei looked worriedly at Tigress. Tigress sighed and told her about how she spent her childhood back at the Jade Palace. Once she finished her story, Mei Mei knocked on her door and told her that they would be leaving soon. Tigress then carried Lei Lei and the three of them left the house.

As evening approaches, the pandas started to gather around the table at the center of the village. When all the pandas were present, Po, Li Shan, Mr. Ping and a few others started to bring out the dishes. Po walked towards the seat beside Tigress and sat down beside her. When all of the food were brought out and everyone was present, Li Shan stood up. The pandas looked at their village head and started to quiet down.

"Thank you all for joining this reunion dinner. Today is quite special, as Mr. Ping, Master Tigress of the Furious Five and my son, Po the Dragon Warrior will be joining us for this event. This is the first time they will be having the reunion dinner with us, and certainly, maybe not their last. Once again, thank you all for attending the dinner." Everyone cheered after Li Shan finished his speech, and started eating. The course of the dinner was full of joy and laughter, with the adults sharing interesting events that happened to them. When the children had their fill, they left the table and went to the fields to play with some fireworks.

When Tigress finished her meal, she started thinking about what Lei Lei had asked her. She looked at Po who was at the other side of the table, talking to Dim and Sum. During most of the conversation, Po was flustered, and he kept glancing at Tigress. Not that she minded, but the act of him glancing at her made her contemplate what Lei Lei had asked her.

 _Did he see me as something more?_ She thought. _But then again, he could just be a caring friend who wants his best friend to feel the warmth of the reunion dinner._ Tigress excused herself from the table and went for a walk.

When Tigress arrived at the Peach Grove, she stood under a tree, punched it, and a few peaches fell from the tree. She caught two of them and smirked.

"Come out Mei Mei. I know you've been following me." The panda plodded from her hiding spot and stood face-to-face with the tiger. Tigress then handed a peach to Mei Mei, who accepts it willingly. The two females then sat under the tree and ate the peach.

"Lei Lei's right, you know." Mei Mei said as she ate the peach. Tigress paused and stared at the half-eaten peach after Mei Mei made the statement. "Guys would not randomly bring their female friends to have reunion dinner with them."

"Po invited me here. I didn't want to follow him initially, but I really wanted to experience a "real" reunion dinner. I have never been to one before." Mei Mei placed her right hand over Tigress's shoulder.

"Well, you have now. I hope you enjoyed the experience." Mei Mei smiled brightly at Tigress who smiled back in return. "Now I have some questions to ask you…"

The two ladies spent half an hour* talking under the peach tree. When they got back to the village, Po and the other pandas have already started clearing out the table. Tigress offered to help deconstruct the table while Mei Mei went to the kitchen to help clean the bowls and dishes. When the components of the table were fully separated, they were brought to the storage for safe keeping.

"So, what were you and Mei Mei talking about?" Po questioned Tigress while they were carrying the parts to the store room.

"Just girl's stuff. You don't need to know." Tigress said plainly. There was an awkward silence between the two. Po looked at Tigress who seemed to be in deep thought. He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't allow him to. They approached the storage house shortly and placed the parts in there. After all the parts were secured inside, the pandas left for their home. The two warriors looked at each other awkwardly, until Tigress decided to break the silence.

"I'll be going now." She bowed at Po and turned away from the panda, only to be grabbed on her arm by him.

"Look Tigress, I don't know what you were thinking just now, but if you have anything that's bothering you, you can talk to me about it anytime." Po turned Tigress to make her face him and placed his hands on Tigress's shoulder, looking into her eyes. Tigress tried to move away but was distracted by Po's eyes.

 _His eyes, they're so calm and mesmerizing..._ Tigress snapped from her thoughts and turned away from Po.

"Sure… sure." She stuttered and walked away, blushing heavily at the same time. Po sighed and started walking towards his father's hut.

 _Why am I acting like I'm so close to her? I'm her best friend, yes, but we're not… nevermind._ Po let out a breath as he entered his father's hut.

"Oh! You're early! Shouldn't you be hanging out with Tigress?" Mr. Ping asked Po, who only shook his head.

"I don't know dad. I feel this tension between us, and it feels rather weird…" He then slumped onto his bed and placed his left arm over his eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked her to come in the first place. I was the one that made us awkward. Maybe it was the idea that made awkward between us. I should have thought of it in the first place." Mr. Ping let out a sigh and threw a towel at Po.

"Think on the bright side, Po. Because of you, Tigress can have her first experience of the reunion dinner. Ignore the traditions for once, Po. Come on, go to the hot springs and relax. You needed it." Po took the towel and lumbered towards the hot spring.

At the other side of the village, Tigress was staring into the night sky from her room. She thought about the conversation that she had with Mei Mei. Speaking of the devil, she was just outside Tigress's room, about to enter Tigress's room.

"Tigress, do you have any new attire with you for tomorrow?" Mei Mei asked Tigress, who shooked her head.

"No, I don't have any. Am I supposed to have a new set of attire?" Tigress asked. Mei Mei stared at Tigress bewilderedly, who only looked at her confusingly.

"You didn't have a new set? You are supposed to wear a new set of clothes during the New Year!" Mei Mei exclaimed as she paced around in Tigress's room. She then thought of an idea and scuffed off back to her room.

"I know! I'll fix one of my newly made attire for you! If I can get your measurements, I will be able to modify it into your size. Wait for me, I'll go get a measuring tape." Mei Mei returned with a box of thread and needles, together with a set of ruqun^.

"Right, let's begin." Mei Mei announced as she brought out the measuring tape from the box.

 ***In ancient China, an hour consist of two modern hours.**

 **^A ruqun(hanfu) is a traditional Chinese attire worn by women.**


	3. Spring Festival: Day 1 (New Year's Day)

"Tigress, you ready?" Mei Mei asked as she knocked on the door. Tigress was still in her room, hesitating on whether she should wear the attire that Mei Mei fixed for her. She held out the dress in front of her and started thinking.

 _Will I look good in this? It's not like I care, it's just that…_

"Give me a few moments, Mei Mei." Tigress sighed in defeat and started changing into the attire. When she finished changing, Tigress walked towards the door and placed her hand over it.

"Well, here goes nothing." She pulled the door open, revealing herself to Mei Mei. Mei Mei eyed the tiger from her head to her feet and smiled in delight. Tigress wore a ruqun*, which consisted of a light yellow blouse with an orange wrap-around skirt and a light orange scarf.

"You look gorgeous! I told you, girl, you can trust me in my sewing skills." Mei Mei bragged, which caused the tiger to roll her eyes. The two friends then left the house and strolled towards the village square.

At the other end of the village away from the square, the Dragon Warrior was sleeping soundly. That is until he felt someone tugged his blanket away from him.

"Are you that tired, son?" Li Shan asked Po, who had just woke up. "It's past sunrise. I know we pandas usually sleep till noon, but on New Year's day we would wake up before sunrise and prepare ourselves to meet the elder, which is Grandma Panda." Po rolled over to his back and slouched.

"Well, I'm up now." He then drank a cup of water and washed his face with a basin of water. When he just finished washing his face, Mr. Ping entered the hut.

"Finally. You should be up since sunrise. I could have wakened you up if it wasn't for today." Mr. Ping grumbled.

"I didn't sleep well, dad." Po yawned and scratched his head.

"Why? Was it because of what happened yesterday?" Mr. Ping asked the young panda, who nodded in return.

"You don't have to worry too much, son. You only want her to be here because you want her to experience the joy of the New Year. I know, culture wise you shouldn't ask her to follow you, but it's alright. Treat it as you inviting your friend over." Li Shan assured Po. Po looked at both of his fathers and smiled.

"You're right dad. I shouldn't let it get to me." He grinned at Li Shan.

"Come on, Po. Get yourself changed. We will be heading out soon." Mr. Ping said impatiently. Mr. Ping and Li Shan then waited outside the hut for Po.

Po took his clothes out of his backpack and started changing into them. He changed into a set of white robes with black linings, a hat, and a golden cape, much like his outfit when he was in the spirit realm. He placed his pajamas on his bed and walked out of the hut. The three fathers and son then left for the village square.

Mei Mei and Tigress arrived at the square, they could see that most of the pandas were already there. The adults greeted each other and chatted, while the children were playing among themselves, while some of them sat around Grandma Panda, who was sitting on a bench at the edge of the square. They were greeted by some of the pandas, and some of them complimented Tigress's looks. After that, Mei Mei and Tigress both approached Grandma Panda and greeted her.

"Grandma, Happy New Year!" Mei Mei and Tigress said as they bowed at the elderly.

"Happy New Year to you children, too." Grandma Panda said while she chuckled. She then took out two copper coins, which has greetings engraved on it.

"Oh oh, what's on yours? Mine says 十全十美 (shi quan shi mei)." Mei Mei bragged.

"Mine just says 龍鳳呈祥 (long feng cheng xiang)."Mei Mei grinned at her. She then leaned towards Tigress's ear and whispered to her.

"I think what I think it means." Mei Mei pulled away from the tiger, blinked at her and skipped her way into the crowd. Tigress looked confusingly at Mei Mei and was about to ask her what she meant. Before she could ask her, Lei Lei hugged her leg, which prevented her from going anywhere. Tigress sighed, then picked up Lei Lei and smiled at her. The toddler giggled happily when her idol picked her up.

"Stripy baby! Stripy baby!" Tigress poked Lei Lei's nose and placed her on her shoulder. The two friend then walked away from the crowd towards the edge of the square.

On the other side of the square, Po and his fathers were attracting quite a crowd due to Po's new outfit. The other pandas praised the Dragon Warrior's outfit, and how majestic it looked on him. Out of nowhere, Dim and Sum appeared from the crowd and pulled Po away from his fathers.

"Guys? Where are we going?" Po asked his cousins, who only smiled at him.

"We're bringing you to Grandma Panda. Everyone in the village is supposed to do so, especially if you're unmarried. You'll get a good luck coin from her." Dim said. Po felt rather suspicious of the two, but he still followed them nevertheless.

The three greeted Grandma Panda and received their copper coin from her. Dim and Sum looked at the proverb on their coin, trying to figure out the meaning behind it. Po looked at his with confusion written all over his face.

"龍鳳呈祥? Am I going to celebrate something big this year?" Po questioned himself. He shrugged, then ambled back to his fathers. When he returned to that spot, however, he couldn't find them. Po sighed and walked back into the crowd. He walked aimlessly among the crowd and bumped into Mei Mei, unknowingly.

"Po! Watch where you're going!" Mei Mei hit Po, which started him.

"Mei Mei? When did you appear?" Mei Mei rolled her eyes at Po, who was glaring at her.

"I was here? You bumped into me and you didn't realize?" Mei Mei questioned the Dragon Warrior, who in return, shrugged at her.

"Come on, we have to get to my place now. We have to prepare lunch. Your fathers are already there." Mei Mei sighed, then pushed Po away from the crowd, towards her house. On their way there, Mei Mei glanced at Po from time to time, as a thought arose in her mind.

 _Judging from his looks, he most probably hasn't seen Tigress yet. I wonder what would his reaction be when he sees her._

When the two pandas arrived at Mei Mei's hut, they were greeted by Mr. Ping and Li Shan. They were waiting outside the hut, chatting with each other while waiting for Mei Mei. Po and his fathers entered the hut and went to the kitchen to prepare their lunch while Mei Mei went to get Tigress.

Tigress waddled along the paddy field with Lei Lei, who was grasping onto the tiger's hand for safety. The two of them chatted away happily until Mei Mei came looking for Tigress.

"Tigress, we have to get back now. It's almost lunch time." Mei Mei told Tigress. Tigress carried Lei Lei back to her house, then returned to Mei Mei's hut with her. When the two ladies reached the hut, they could smell the aroma coming out of it.

"They might be done in a while. Let's go in." Mei Mei and Tigress entered the hut and was greeted by Mr. Ping himself.

"You're back! Give us a moment. We'll be serving the dishes in a while," Mr. Ping reentered the kitchen, leaving Po outside with the two females. They sat around the dining table, and as expected, Po and Tigress were sitting next to each other. Po glanced at Tigress and took a deep breath.

"You looked… really good." Po said as he looked down to his fingers, which were twirling faster and faster. _Why did I say that? Urgh…_ Po thought to himself as Tigress looked at him. Mei Mei, who was sitting opposite the pair mentally face-palmed herself. Tigress looked at Po, flustered. She let out a soft 'thank you' and turned away from Po, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Lunch was relatively quite, other than small chats here and there between Li Shan, Mr. Ping, and Mei Mei. For the other two, they just had their lunch in silence, avoiding eye contact with each other. When they had finished their meal, the five of them cleaned up the dining table. Tigress excused herself and went into her room to meditate for the rest of the day, with Po leaving to the training ground(where the dummy that Po made) to do some training.

At night, Po and his fathers went to Grandma Panda's place for dinner whereas Mei Mei and Tigress went to Lei Lei's house. Despite being in two different houses, they ate one dish which was prepared specifically for this day, dumplings. They were made in the morning and would be served at night during dinner time. When the five were done, they bid farewell to their hosts and returned to their respective household.

 **Copper coins were given to unmarried individuals by the elders back in ancient China as a charm. In the modern society, red packets with money were given instead, usually by married individuals to those that are unmarried.**

 **十全十美 –** **To describe something that is perfect**

 **龍鳳** **(** **龙凤** **)** **呈祥 –** **Something auspicious or festive.**


	4. Spring Festival: Day 2

"We're almost there…" Li Shan and Po were climbing up the stairs towards the apothecary hut(where Li Shan was last seen in KFP 2), and with them being them, they were currently running out of breath. Li Shan arrived at the hut first, with Po arriving later. In the hut were a few spirit tablets in there.

"I should have brought you here when you first arrive but forgotten about it." Li Shan said as he took a couple of incenses and lighted them. He then passed some of them to Po.

"Come on, pay some respect to our ancestors. I know you should only do this tomorrow, but since you're leaving tonight, I suppose it wouldn't hurt if we do this a day before." Po and Li Shan held the incenses, brought them up towards their forehead and bowed towards the spirit tablets. They placed the incenses in a bowl of ashes and bowed one last time before leaving the hut.

When both father and son returned to the hut, Mr. Ping served them a bowl of soup with wonton in them. He prepared them when the two were out. He was also preparing lunch, which both Po and Li Shan helped with afterward.

After his lunch, Po went to the training ground as he wanted to train himself. When he reached there, he saw Tigress training alone there. She was hitting the adversary that he made back then during Kai's pursuit of the pandas. Po looked at Tigress from afar, admiring every move that she made. That is until Tigress looked over to the Dragon Warrior. They made eye contact with each other and started feeling the tension brewing between themselves.

"Look, Tigress, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have invited you here…" Tigress interrupted Po with a cough. Po looked curiously at the tiger, who sighed and looked at him, smiling.

"It's alright, Po. I know it's because of the tradition, we were feeling rather awkward between us. I did enjoy myself, however. Also, you looked good in the robe that you wore yesterday." Tigress smiled faintly at Po, which resulted in him giving her his signature grin. The tension started to subside and the two warriors started to loosen up a little.

"Good, good. I was so afraid that you wouldn't enjoy yourself." Po sighed in relief and walked towards Tigress. "In the meantime, let's spar." Po got into his stance. Tigress took a deep breath, extended her arms and took her stance.

After sparring with each other, the two warriors bowed to each other and returned to their respective huts to pack up. After saying their goodbyes, Po, Mr. Ping, and Tigress started their journey back to the Valley of Peace.

"Have a safe journey guys. I will go to the Valley of Peace in a few days." Li Shan waved his hand at the group as he shouted at them while holding Lei Lei on his other arm, who was also waving at the group. They waved back at them and started to increase their pace back to the valley.

The group of three arrived at the village back at the valley at around midnight. They went to Mr. Ping's restaurant to have their dinner, which was prepared by the three of them. After their dinner, Po bid goodbye to his father, and the two warriors started heading to the Jade Palace. When they entered the student's barracks, they were greeted by Shifu.

"Master, we're back," Tigress said as she and Po bowed at Master Shifu.

"I didn't expect you two to return so early, but I guess it's a good thing. Being alone in the Jade Palace is much more boring than I expected." Shifu said as he chuckled. "Go get some rest, the journey from the panda village back here must be tiring." The master bowed to his students and returned to his chambers. Tigress entered her room, took a towel and headed off to the hot springs whereas Po just laid on his bed, entering his dreamland as he dozed off into the night.


	5. Spring Festival: Day 3

The morning light shone on Tigress through the window in her room. She opened her eyes, realizing that she was sitting on her mat in a full lotus position.

 _I must have fallen asleep during meditation. Looks like I was really tired._ Tigress thought to herself. She stretched herself, changed into her training attire and left her room. Just as she was approaching the kitchen, she heard the cracking sounds of hot oil coming from the kitchen. Tigress entered the kitchen and was greeted by a plate of stir fried tofu on the table.

"Good morning, Tigress. Have a seat, I'm almost done." He scooped the remaining stir fried lettuce and placed them on a plate. He placed the plate on the table and poured some porridge into two bowls. He gave one bowl to Tigress, and they ate their food in silence.

"Po, what are we doing today?" Tigress asked Po.

"I don't know since there's only the two of us. I know, we can look for Master Shifu and ask him to teach us." Po replied.

When Po and Tigress finished their food, they went to look for Shifu. They searched the entire Jade Palace, only to find him meditating at the Dragon Grotto.

"Master Shifu! Can you teach us for today?" Po asked his master enthusiastically. Master Shifu looked at them and scratched his beard.

"Why not tell me what did you guys did back in the panda village?" Master Shifu asked the two warriors, who agreed to it. They spent some time telling their experience at the village and meditated afterward.

At around noon, Po went down to the village to help his father at the restaurant. Before Tigress could leave the grotto, Shifu stopped her in her tracks.

"Wait, Tigress. I have something to ask you." Tigress turned around to face her adopted father and knelt to his level. He walked towards Tigress, held her right arm with both of his hands and looked into her eyes.

"Tell me, did you enjoy this short trip?" Shifu asked Tigress.

"Yes, father. I did enjoy the trip." Shifu nodded at Tigress and patted her hand. He then let go of her hand and went back to meditating. Tigress left the Dragon Grotto, and to her surprise, Po was waiting for her at the arena.

"Tigress, wanna join me at my father's restaurant?" Po asked her. Tigress hesitated at first but followed him nevertheless. When they were walking down the stairs, Tigress thought of something that she wanted to ask Po about but forgotten about it.

"Po, which proverb was on the coin that you received?" Tigress asked. Po scratched his head, trying to remember what did he get.

"I think it was 龍鳳呈祥." He said hesitantly. "What about you?"

"Same." Tigress laughed dryly at Po. The panda nodded his head at Tigress in acknowledgment.

When the two of them reached Mr. Ping's restaurant, they were greeted by the goose himself. Po then entered the kitchen to help his father whereas Tigress started serving the customers. Just as she was serving a family of pigs, Tigress saw Monkey and Mantis entering the restaurant. They sat in the corner and ordered their food from Tigress. After taking their order, Tigress was about to pass the order to Mr. Ping but was stopped by Mantis as he jumped onto her shoulder without notice.

"How's the panda village? Did you and Po did anything special?" Mantis poked Tigress as he asked her. Tigress growled at the insect and flicked him off from her shoulder. She passed the order to Mr. Ping, who passed it to Po. Po looked out of the kitchen and saw both Monkey and Mantis waving at him. He waved back at them, then returned to the food preparation.

Monkey and Mantis stayed back to help out Mr. Ping after their meal. When the peak hour passed, the four warriors bid goodbye to Mr. Ping and left for the Jade Palace. On the way there, the guys talked about what they did on New Year's Day. When they reached the gates of the Jade Palace, they met Viper, who just returned from her village. Crane joined them afterward, and the six warriors strolled to the student barracks, sharing each of their own New Year's experience.


	6. Spring Festival: Day 7

"Happy Birthday! Since today is Ren Ri^, my dad said he will be preparing our dinner. After today's training ends, you guys will have half an hour to prepare yourselves. We'll gather at the palace arena before heading to my dad's restaurant. That is all. We'll begin our training shortly." Po announced to the Furious Five. They bowed at their teacher and went to their respective obstacle course to train.

The Furious Five trained until sunset and were dismissed by the Dragon Warrior. They returned to each of their quarters, except for Tigress. She felt that her shoulders were rather stiff and decided to go to the hot springs to relax. She took a towel from her room and headed off to the mountains behind the Jade Palace.

Tigress stripped herself, placed her clothes and towel under the tree and dipped into the hot spring. She leaned against the edge of the pool and started lowering her head into the water slowly, until her nose, which was just above the water. She closed her eyes and felt her muscles starting to loosen. After awhile, Tigress opened her eyes and rose from the hot spring. Just as she was about to take her towel, she saw Viper slithering towards her.

"There you are! I was looking for you!" Viper said annoyingly. "I didn't expect you to come to the hot springs. What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to relax, that's all. My muscles are too stiff." Tigress replied as she was drying herself. She then wore her clothes and started walking back to the student barracks with Viper. "So, why were you looking for me?"

"Oh, you know, to ask you about what had really happened at the panda village. You seemed to be rather quiet about it during yesterday's discussion. Also, how's Mei Mei doing?"

"She's fine, and to your previous question, Po basically told you what happened," Tigress said coldly, which only led to Viper pouting at her.

"Come on, there must be something that happened between you and Po. Tell me, please?" Viper pleaded Tigress.

"Let's just say Po forgot that he was not supposed to invite me and everything turned out to be awkward. Eventually, we did sort out things between us, that's all." Viper processed about what Tigress told her and smiled cheekily.

"Oh, you mean people thought that you were married to Po because you followed him back to his village?" After Viper asked the question, Tigress's face started to heat up, but a change in colour was barely visible due to her fur.

"We shall not talk about that." Tigress started to increase her pace, leaving Viper trailing behind.

"Looks like someone is in denial." Viper said out loud and started laughing.

Tigress walked hastily into the student barracks, entered her room and slammed it shut. She leaned against the door and started breathing heavily.

 _What was I thinking? Come on Ti, keep your composure._ She thought to herself. _I mean, it's not like I've never thought of it..._

"Tigress? Are you fine?" Tigress snapped from her thoughts and left the door. Judging from the shadow that cast on the door, Crane was outside of her room. "I saw you entering your room hastily, is there anything wrong?" Tigress let out a long breath and tried to regain her composure.

"Yes, Crane, I'm fine. There's no need to worry about me." Tigress assured the avian, who nodded his head and left the hallway. Tigress slumped onto her bed and looked towards the rack on the other side of the room. On the rack was the ruqun that Mei Mei gave her.

"I think I'll wear that."

By the time Tigress reached the arena, the others were already there waiting for her. All of them, other than Po, were bewildered by what she wore.

"Wow, Tigress, you look really good!" Viper exclaimed. The others also complimented Tigress, except for Po.

"Let's go, everyone's here," Po announced to the group. Tigress looked at the group and noticed one person short from the group. She halted the group and looked at Po.

"Where's Master Shifu? Isn't he coming?" She asked.

"Ah, Master Shifu had already gone down to my father's restaurant, don't worry." Po gave her a reassuring smile and Tigress sighed with relief. He then tapped her shoulder and started walking down the stairs, with the rest following after him.

On the way down to the village, Viper coiled up to Po and whispered into his ear.

"Dude, aren't you bewildered by Tigress's dress?" She asked the panda.

"That was what she wore back at the panda village, I've seen her in that before," Po replied, but Viper was not satisfied.

"Are you not amazed at how she looks?" Po thought about the question and nodded. Viper glared at the panda and slithered away, leaving him flustered.

When they reach the restaurant, they saw that the restaurant was full. Mr. Ping saw them and walked towards them to greet them.

"Ah, you guys are here. Come on, I've prepared a table for you guys. Follow me." He brought them to a table at the corner of the restaurant and went to the kitchen. The warriors took their seat and chatted among themselves as they were waiting for their food.

"I don't see Master Shifu… you sure he's here?" Tigress asked Po. Speaking of the devil, the devil himself appeared after Tigress finished her sentence.

"No worries, I'm here. Po, why don't you go help your fathers." Master Shifu received a nod from Po and the panda left off to the kitchen. Master Shifu took his seat, realizing that the Furious Five were staring at him. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Po maneuvered through the narrow spaces between the tables and reached the kitchen. He opened the door and saw Li Shan helping Mr. Ping in there.

"Dad! You're here!" Po smiled and embraced his father in a warm hug. "Good to see you here."

"Why are you in here? You should be outside with your friends! Come on, get going, we can handle things here." Li Shan broke the hug hastily and pushed Po out of the kitchen. Po looked at Li Shan, flustered, but still went back to his seat nevertheless.

Just after Po sat down, Mr. Ping brought out the dish. This dish is only eaten this day, and it's called the Seven Vegetable Broth, which is a soup made of seven different types of vegetables. This soup can be sweet or salty depending on which type of vegetables were added.

The warriors stayed at the restaurant until late night. When all the customers had left the restaurant, Mr. Ping and Li Shan joined the group. The warriors later helped to tidy the restaurant, bid goodbye to Po's fathers and left for the Jade Palace. Just as the group left the restaurant, Li Shan silently pulled Master Shifu from the group.

"Shifu, when will this 'Soothsayer' that you say will be arriving? She's the one that will choose the auspicious date right?" Li Shan asked the red panda.

"When will she arrive, you ask? In a few days, I suppose. If she's on schedule, she will be arriving at the valley on the Festival of the First Full Moon." Shifu chuckled. He then turned away from Li Shan, walking slowly back to the Jade Palace.

 **Ren Ri (** **人日** **) – Also known as everyone's birthday. On this day, every individual becomes one year older. (Not a major celebration, but worth mentioning)**


	7. Festival of the Full Moon (SF day 15)

Today is the last day of the Spring Festival, also known as the Festival of the First Full Moon. On this day, specifically at night, the citizens of the Valley of Peace would decorate the main street of the village with lanterns with riddles hanging on them. Other than that, food stalls would be set up by the side of the street. Children would crowd at the candy stall, while adults would be at the food stalls having some tidbits with some rice wine with it, chatting into the late night.

"Po, wanna follow us down to the village? The festival would be starting soon." Monkey asked Po, who was slouching on the ground after an intense training session with the Furious Five.

"You guys go ahead, I need some rest," Po said slowly, trying to catch his breath.

"If you say so. You can come down later with Tigress, she said she wanted to meditate." Monkey and Crane waved at Po and went down to the village together with Viper and Mantis. Po stood up carefully and wobbled towards the student barracks. He entered his room, slumped on his bed and started snoring a few moments later.

At the other side of the palace, Tigress was looking for a spot where she could meditate at the Dragon Grotto. She sat under the dragon in a full lotus position, closed her eyes, and started focusing on her breathing. After a while, she opened her eyes, realizing that the sun had set. She stood up, patted her pants to get rid of the dust and went off to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom.

Back at the student barracks, Po had just woke up from his "power nap". He rubbed his eyes, got out of his bed and left his room. He searched every corner of the Jade Palace for Tigress, and only found her at the Peach Tree, looking down into the valley. By then, he was already running out of breath.

"There you are, took me a while to find you." Po laid back on the tree, breathing heavily. Tigress looked away from the valley, grabbed a peach from the tree and passed it to Po.

"Here. You can have it." Po took the peach from Tigress and started gobbling it.

"Thank you, I needed it. I'm starving." He spat the seed to the ground and licked his hands clean. Po then stood up and walked towards Tigress and stood beside her.

The two friends looked at the night scenery, enjoying the view of the village below. They felt each other's fur, brushing softly against their own as the wind blew. Tigress looked at Po, who was still indulging in the scenery and frowned.

 _Maybe I'm thinking too much,_ she thought. _Maybe he only sees me as his best friend._

"You know, Tigress, I have been thinking recently." Po started speaking all of a sudden. Tigress's ears perked up, and she gave him a flustered look. "About our relationship."

Upon hearing this, Tigress felt her heartbeat had picked up its speed. She kept her composure, however. She then lowered her head and stared at her feet.

"What about it?" Tigress asked, trying her hardest to be as cold as possible with her tone and choice of words while pushing down her emotions. Po sighed, then lifted his head and stared into the starry night.

"I was just thinking, maybe… we could become more than what we are now." Po felt his face heating up after he had spoken. He then lowered his head and turned it towards Tigress, forcing a smile on his face. "If you don't mind, that is…" His voice faded away into the still air between them. "I always hoped that what the pandas assumed was real." Tigress lifted her head, allowing the eyes of both individuals to meet each other. "I love you, Tigress. I love you with all my heart, and I always will."

Tigress couldn't believe what she heard. She hoped that one day, she would hear him say those three words. However, she felt confused. Yes, she finally heard him say those words, but at the same time, why. Why did he love her, and what made him fall for her. Tigress turned her head from Po, cutting off the connection between them.

"How could you love someone like me? How? What do you like about me? What is your reason for…" Tigress was cut off suddenly as she felt something warm embracing her from behind. She felt Po's heart beating against her back and his warm breath against her shoulder.

"Because I just do. I love you because I do. I do not love you because of your body, your personality, or your title. I love you because you're Tigress, the only person who I hold dearly in my heart other than my dads." Po reasoned with Tigress. He tightens his hug, and suddenly, felt teardrops on his arms.

"I have been harboring feelings for you ever since Gongmen, or probably before that. You have changed the atmosphere of the Jade Palace from dull and boring to joyful and lively. You have changed Master Shifu, the Furious Five, and most importantly, me. You changed my view on the world and showed me that training is not my entire life. All this time I was hoping that you would have feelings for me, but no one would love someone like a monster me…" Tigress whimpered and tried to prevent her tears from falling, but was failing due to the buildup of tears in her eyes. Po loosened his hug and turned Tigress around so that she was facing him.

"But I love you. Do not think that you're a monster and cannot be loved, because that is not true. You're not a monster, but a normal citizen like everyone else. You're Tigress, the citizen, and protector of the Valley of Peace and China, not a monster." Po assured Tigress in a soothing tone. The two then hugged each other, finding comfort in each other.

"I too never thought that anyone would love me, other than my goose dad back then. When I first saw you when you defeat Boar, I was both amazed by kung fu, and most importantly, you. I know that our first encounter was horrible, but that didn't cause me to feel less towards you. Despite all the harsh treatment and all, you were still a goddess to me. After I defeated Tai Lung, you accepted me and became my brother in arms, my tutor, and most importantly, my best friend. After the events at Gongmen and the attack of Kai, I was certain that I love you more than I thought I was, to the point of sacrificing myself. I wanted to confess to you, but the thought of me being who I am stopped me. No one would want to spend their whole life with this panda, but then again, you will not know till you try." Po felt his heart sank after he finished his sentence, but received an assurance from Tigress.

"I'm willing to spend the rest of my days with you. Don't you dare have any negative thoughts from now on." Tigress whispered. She then broke off from the hug, held onto Po's hand and brought her forehead to his. "I think this was what our coins were talking about, us getting together," The couple lifted their head up, looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

"I will always be by your side, Tigress," Po whispered.

"Me too, Po," Tigress whispered back. "Come on, let's go down to the village and join the festival." They separated their hands when they reached the village, wanting their relationship to be a secret for now.

The newly formed couple went to Mr. Ping's restaurant, where they met the rest of the Furious Five, Mr. Ping, Li Shan, Master Shifu and the Soothsayer. The Furious Five were chatting loudly at a table, whereas the elders were at another table at the other corner of the restaurant, away from the Five. Po immediately noticed the Soothsayer and decided to greet her.

"You're here! Why didn't anyone told me? Dad, she's the one who saved me and showed me the panda village back at Gongmen, really grateful for her help for me to achieve Inner Peace." Po introduced Li Shan to the Soothsayer.

"I know, Po. Shifu introduced me to her. She was the one who told Shen about the prophecy. Initially, I was mad at Shifu for bringing someone who is at fault for destroying the village, but as soon as I got to know that she saved you when you were hit by Shen's weapon, I've forgiven her." Li Shan looked at the Soothsayer and grinned at her, who smiled softly in return. "Go on, Po. Join the others."

After Po had gone over to the other table, Master Shifu and Mr. Ping sighed.

"That was close, we almost let him hear our conversation." Mr. Ping huffed. "Anyways, what do you need, Madam?"

"I need their birthdays. With that, I can predict how well their marriage would turn out. The auspicious date would also be chosen based on their birthday." Mr. Ping and Master Shifu each pulled out a piece of paper and passed it to the Soothsayer. She looked at the birthdays written on the papers and chuckled.

"Well, this is interesting…"


	8. Qingming

**The Qingming festival, also know as the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, is a festival set on the 15th day after the spring equinox (in modern times, it would usually be on April 4th). On this day, family members will visit the graves of their ancestors or relatives to pray and honour them. Offering will be placed at the graves (usually incenses, candles and food), and the weeds grown on it will be removed.**

 **I'm sorry this was out so late (exams are slowly sapping my life away…), but anyways, enjoy the fic!**

* * *

"We're here, son." Li Shan called out to Po who was sleeping in the shelter of the boat. "It's been such a long time since I've come here… I wonder how much has this place changed." He whispered to himself as he turned to face the approaching city.

Po's ears twitched, followed by a loud yawn. He stretched his body, opened his heavy eyelids and stood up. He dragged himself out of the shelter of the boat, joining his father at the front of the boat. Both pandas stared into the sunrise, which cast the shadow of the magnificent city on the surface of the river.

"I wonder will your mother be mad at me for not visiting her all these years, Lotus" Li Shan chuckled. Po turned his head towards his father, laid his left arm on Li Shan's back and smiled at him.

"I'm sure mom would not be angry at you. She'll understand your absence for the past twenty years." Po assured his father. Li Shan smiled sadly at Po, then placed his attention to the river down below.

Once the boat docked, Po and Li Shan got down from it and were greeted by the citizens of Gongmen. They welcomed their hero who saved the city and the whole of China warm-heartedly. After leaving the jetty, Po and Li Shan went to the site of the Tower of the Sacred Flames to find for the Soothsayer.

"Dragon Warrior, what brings you to Gongmen? Also, who is this panda here?" Master Storming Ox greeted the visitors when they reached the site. Po scanned the site and noticed a small shrine at the spot where the Tower of Sacred Flames used to stand. Inside the shrine was a small tombstone, with a hammer resting on it.

"Please drop the formality Master Ox. This is my father, Li Shan. We were on our way to the abandoned panda village to pay our respect to those who have fallen during Shen's attack. Before that, we wanted to pick up some stuff from the Soothsayer. Is she here by any chance?" Po asked the master as he walked towards the shine. He stood in front of the memorial, placed his right fist into his right paw and bowed towards it, paying respect to the deceased Master.

"I hear you're seeking for me?" Po turned around and saw the Soothsayer standing at the entrance of the shrine. She was holding a basket with incense, candles and a few buns in it. "Here you go, Li Shan. These are the offerings that you requested from me." She handed the basket over to Li Shan. "I truly am sorry for what happened twenty years ago. It was my fault for doing the fortune telling, which lead to the genocide. I know I couldn't do much to heal the damage on you, but I will do as much as I can to lessen your pain." The Soothsayer gave Li Shan a sad smile and bowed at him before turning away from the panda.

The journey to the abandoned panda village felt heavy for Li Shan. His steps were getting smaller and slower until he just stood completely still with his eyes fixated at the ground as thoughts about the genocide started to appear in his mind. Po noticed his father had stopped moving and walked towards him, feeling concerned for his father. He dropped his arm over Li Shan's shoulder, lowered himself so he could look into his father's eyes. Li Shan lifted his head and saw Po, who was staring at him with a small smile on his face. Po stared at his father as if he was comforting him and telling him everything is alright. Li Shan nodded back at his son, and they resumed their journey to the village.

"Finally, took you guys long enough. It's already past noon." Dim greeted them. "The rest of the pandas are already here. We have to start now, or we will not be able to finish by sunset." Sum passed the hoes to Po and Li Shan, and the pandas left for the cemetery.

The burial site for the genocide was situated right beside the village. Po went to the cemetery together with the other pandas and started clearing the weed. Li Shan, however, didn't join them. Instead, he left the village and went to the woods behind it, bringing the basket he got from the Soothsayer with him.

Li Shan traveled for around two li* before arriving at a small clearing, where a small piece of flat stone stood in the center of it. He let out a sigh before easing his way towards the stone.

"It has been a long time, Xue. Twenty years have passed since Shen and his wolf pack attacked the village." Li Shan brought out a match box and lighted the incense, placing them into the soil in front of the stone.

"And it has already been twenty years… since you left me." Li Shan said as he laid down the buns beside the incense. "I'm sorry if I haven't visited you for such a long time, as all of the pandas who survived went into hiding at the secret village up in the mountains in Sichuan. Some of them decided to travel to different parts of China. The Huang family, for example, went to Fujian in the east. Xiao Xia and her husband didn't follow us to Sichuan too, as they went up north to Shanxi." Li Shan sat down, facing the gravestone as he started eating one of the buns. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I found Lotus. He's currently the Dragon Warrior, and one of the protectors of the Valley of Peace. Grandma said that he looked just like me, but he certainly got his loving kindness from you. He reminds me a lot of you, being caring and selfless to everyone. And there's more…"

At around sunset, the pandas had cleared the weeds off every grave. Po searched around for his father, but he couldn't seem to find him. After asking Hom Lee about where Li Shan could have gone to, Po left for the woods.

"I wonder where is he. It's already sunset. I should find him as fast as possible." Po thought to himself as he followed the footsteps left by Li Shan. Upon arriving at the clearing, Po saw Li Shan was sitting down on the ground, facing a small plaque. Po walked towards Li Shan, which caused the older panda to turn around to face him.

"Lotus, you're here. Come and greet your mother." Li Shan signaled to Po. Po knelt down, facing the tombstone with his paws clasped together.

"Mom, it's me, Lotus. Thank you for saving me during the genocide. Shen was defeated, and I hope the others and yourself can pass on to the afterlife. You don't have to worry about me anymore, as I've grown up and had a bunch of awesome friends with me." Po bowed forward, paying respect to his mother. "We have to go, dad. It's almost night time." Li Shan let out a small sigh, then stood up and looked at the grave one last time.

"I have to go now, Xue. I will come back again… someday." Li Shan felt his eyes beginning to tear up, but he held them in. "I've missed you, Xue, so… much." He turned away from the memorial and returned to the village with Po to meet up with the others.

* * *

The next day, both father and son returned to the Valley of Peace just after sunrise. Upon entering the village, they went to Dragon Warrior's Noodles and Tofu to greet Mr. Ping.

"Dad, I'm home!" Po called out to his other father, who rushed out of the kitchen after hearing his son calling out to him.

"Po! You're back! Do you and Li Shan want something to eat?" Mr. Ping asked Po and Li Shan. Po nodded his head excitedly and sat down at an empty seat. Li Shan didn't say anything and just sat beside Po, staring into nothingness.

"Dad, are you alright?" Po asked Li Shan, feeling concerned for him. "You have been really quiet since coming back from Gongmen."

"It's nothing, Lotus. I'm just… thinking. About your mother." Li Shan sighed. Seeing his father unable to let go of his mother, Po pulled his father into a hug.

"It's fine dad. Just let it out. Don't bottle up the emotions. Let everything go." Po whispered into his father's ears, which cause Li Shan to break down. Mr. Ping witnessed the scene when he came out of the kitchen with their food, and he too comforted Li Shan.

Li Shan calmed down after a while, and both he and Po had their food. Po left for the Jade Place after he had finished his noodles as he had to supervise the Furious Five's practice whereas Mr. Ping led Li Shan up to Po's old room so he could collect himself.

"Just a few more step…" Po huffed. "Why do they have to build the palace on top of such a tall mountain…"

"Maybe it's so that we could see what was happening in the valley so we could protect the citizen." Po slumped onto the ground after getting off the last steps and saw Tigress staring at him. "You have to work on your stamina, Dragon Warrior. Our training will be starting soon, so make it quick. Master." Tigress grinned at the panda and left him gasping for breath.

"Wait for me!" Po got up, cleaned his backside and scrambled towards the Training Hall. As they approached the hall, they were greeted by the Furious Five.

"Master, our training session will be from noon until sunset, according to the Grandmaster. We can enter the hall once you give us the permission to." Tigress said as she joined the four, who bowed to their master. Po gave a small nod, and the six warriors entered the hall.

At around sunset, the training had ended. The rest of the Furious Five left the hall, except for Tigress.

"Yes Po, is there anything you want to tell me?" Tigress asked.

"Meet me at the peach tree at the chen* hour. Also, please prepare dinner for Master Shifu and the others. I have to get down to the village to check on my dad." Po rushed out of the hall, leaving Tigress standing alone in there. Tigress smiled at the panda and left the hall for the kitchen so that she could start preparing dinner for everyone in the Jade Palace.

Po raced down the steps and into Dragon Warrior's Noodles and Tofu, only to be surprised by Li Shan taking orders and serving the costumers. He entered the restaurant and greeted his father. Li Shan greeted Po and returned to his job. Po was puzzled by Li Shan's action, but he shrugged it off and walked towards the kitchen.

"Dad, how's it going? Need my help?" Po asked Mr. Ping.

"Yes, could you help me stir and season the soup? I have to get a new batch of noodles from the compartment." Mr. Ping then left the kitchen, leaving the pot of soup in Po's hands. The goose returned with a box of noodles after awhile, and he placed some of them into a pot of boiling water.

"Has dad calmed down? I mean, he seemed like he has…"Po asked his father, who sighed upon hearing his question.

"He has, Po. I had a small talked with Li Shan just now. Just give him some time. I know it is hard to let someone go, especially when they leave all of a sudden." Mr. Ping placed the sieve into the pot, lifted up the noodles and place them into the bowls. Po poured some soup into each of the bowls. "I will take care of Shan, Po. You can go now unless you want to continue helping me."

"I'll stay here, and help you two until nighttime." Po beamed at Mr. Ping. He took the bowls filled with noodle soup and left the kitchen.

"Order up!"

* * *

Tigress stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down into the valley. Her ears perked suddenly as she picked up the sound of footsteps approaching her. She closed her eyes and let out a small breath.

"Po, I know you're behind me." She said coldly. Po stopped in his tracks and pouted. Tigress turned to face the panda and hit him gently on his head. "Stop giving me that expression. You're not a kid anymore."

"No fun Tigress, I just wanna hug you." Po dawdled to the peach tree and sat down under it. Tigress snickered and walked to Po, lied against him and pulled his arms over her shoulders.

"You can just ask for one if you want it." Tigres rubbed her head below Po's chin and let out a chuff. The next few moments were quiet until Po decided to break the silence.

"Tigress, what will I do if you leave me? I might live up to hundreds or maybe thousand of years, but you will live a shorter life compared to me…" Po's voice trailed away slowly, followed by a sigh. Tigress looked at the panda and closed her eyes.

"I would like you to live on and not reminisce about your time together with me. I do not want your life to be affected by my death. I will not be happy if I see you sad all the time when I look at you from the spirit realm. You must always be that joyful panda who would bring happiness to everyone." Tigress opened her eyes and looked up to face Po with a gentle smile. "If you do pass away before me, you would want me to live on without being affected by your death, right?"

Po gazed at Tigress, thinking about her statement. He blinked slowly, then smiled at her, indicating that he agreed with it. He pulled Tigress closer to his body and the couple stared into the night sky, enjoying the stars above and each other's embrace.

* * *

Li(里) - 500 meters (or 0.31 miles)  
Chen(辰) – Modern time 7 pm to 9 pm


	9. Duanwu(Dragon Boat Festival)

"During the Warring States Period, there was a poet by the name of Qu Yuan. He was an officer in the Kingdom of Chu and the number one adviser to the ruler of the state. He advised the ruler to build an alliance with the Kingdom of Qi to fight against the Kingdom of Qin. The other advisers, however, were jealous of Qu Yuan, and they accused him of treason, which resulted in him being exiled from the state." Po let out a long breath and looked at his class. The bunnies stared eagerly at the Dragon Warrior, wondering about what would he say next.

"During his exaltation, Qu Yuan wrote many poems which were inspired by his love for his country. Upon hearing that the capital of Chu being concurred by Qin, he committed suicide due to great despair by drowning himself in the Milo (pronounced as Mee-Lo) river on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar."

"So what does it have to do with eating zongzi and having the Dragon Boat Race?" One of the bunnies raised his hand and asked Po.

"I'm getting there. When the villages heard about Qu Yuan's suicide, they were devastated. They rowed out on the river to search for his body, but they failed. To ensure the fish doesn't eat away his body, the villagers threw rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river to feed them. That is why, from that day onwards, people around China would celebrate the Duanwu* festival. Sticky rice dumplings would be eaten on this day and let us not forget about the awesome Dragon Boat race." Po ended his story, and he received an applause from his students. "Alright, that's all for today. Next class, we will be learning about the use of Chi."

The children stood up, placed their fist in their palm and bowed at the Dragon Warrior, who bowed back at them in return. While the kids were leaving the arena, Monkey was seen walking towards Po.

"Po, your dads want you to help them make zongzi for tomorrow's festival. They want you to go down now." Monkey went up to Po, giving him the message from his fathers.

"Alright, I'll go now. I'll be back by sunset." Po took off and ran down the Jade Palace to the village as fast as his legs could carry him.

When Po reached Mr. Ping's restaurant, he could see both his fathers were busy serving the customers. He entered the restaurant through the back door and waited for them in the kitchen.

"Oh, you're here! Can you help to wash the bamboo leaves? Also, could you soak the glutinous rice and get the fillings from the storage room? Thanks." Mr. Ping told Po as he was preparing bowls and bowls of noodles. Po went to the storage room and got out the ingredients needed. While he was getting everything he needed, he noticed a large red box with a few rolls of cloths on it. What caught his attention about the box was the "marriage" symbol on the side of it.

Po went to the back of the restaurant, took out a few containers and placed the different elements into separate containers. He washed the rice before soaking it and proceeded to clean the other ingredients. Mr. Ping and Li Shan collected the money from the last few customers before placing the "closed" sign at the front of the restaurant and joining Po afterward, only to be questioned by the later once they entered the alleyway.

"Dads. Are you guys planning my wedding in secret?" Po glared at his fathers, causing them to gulp in fear. "Please tell me you two aren't doing what I said."

"I told you to store the gifts at Po's old room! You didn't listen and just assumed that he will not enter the store room anytime soon. You do know that's where we store all our ingredients right?" Mr. Ping blamed Li Shan, who was just acting as if nothing had happened.

"Guys, stop. Tell me." Po stared at his fathers in disbelief and exhaled. "Did you guys planned my wedding without my permission?"

"Is there a problem with that?" Mr. Ping raised his voice as he scowled at his son. "Let me guess, all we want are grandcubs, and you know you aren't getting any younger. Since you don't have the initiative to find your partner, we'll just do it for you. Unless you give me an acceptable reason why you shouldn't marry Tigress, I will not be canceling the betrothal."

Upon hearing what Mr. Ping had said, Li Shan slapped his face in disappointment. Mr. Ping then realized what he did and placed his wings on his beak. Po looked confusingly at both his fathers and decided to ask Mr. Ping to clarify himself.

"I'm sorry, what was the last part?" Po asked the goose, this time in a softer tone.

"We have arranged your marriage with Tigress. Shifu had agreed to it, and the date for your wedding had already been chosen. We wanted to keep it a secret from you until we sent the gifts over to the Jade Palace." Mr. Ping sighed in defeat, while Li Shan just nodded in agreement to what his partner said. "We thought that would be a good idea since you and she are so close to each other and all. I'm sorry Po, I should've asked you before doing anything." Mr. Ping then took the container with the glutinous rice into the kitchen so he could stir-fry them.

"Well, I am courting Tigress… secretly." Po said in hesitation. Li Shan's ears perked up as he heard Po.

"Really?" Li Shan and Mr. Ping said excitedly at the same time, with Mr. Ping turning back to face Po.

"But we're not even ready for, you know, marriage! Not to mention how you guys still planned it without telling me." Po pouted at his fathers and looked way from them.

"Aw… finally! Thank the Gods! We thought that we have to do everything for you!" Li Shan clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Now that you guys are already together, things would be much easier!"

Mr. Ping and Li Shan brought the ingredients into the kitchen, talking to each other eagerly, leaving Po at the alleyway. He glanced at his fathers and sighed before following them into the kitchen.

At sunset, Po and his fathers brought the gifts up to the Jade Palace. When they entered the gates, they met Shifu at the Palace Arena.

"Ah, you're here with the wedding gifts. And I assume Po had already known about the engagement?" Shifu chuckled at the crowd of three. Po blushed heavily behind his fathers, which caused the elders to snicker.

"I'll be in the kitchen preparing dinner…" Po moved slowly and awkwardly away from them. Shifu ordered some of the palace workers to bring the gifts to his room.

"Since you two are here, care for a game of Mahjong?" Shifu suggested to the two guest. Li Shan and Mr. Ping looked at each other and nodded at Shifu. The three elders then proceeded to Shifu's room.

After Po had prepared dinner for the citizens of the Jade Palace, he ate before everyone came into the kitchen and left it. On his way to his room, Po meet Tigress. Instead of greeting her, Po just walked past her, leaving the tiger confused.

The Next Day…

The villages stood by the riverbank, waiting for the Dragon Boat race to begin. The racers sat in the boat with the row in their hands, waiting for the referee to start the race. The referee lit up the incense and blew the whistle. The races started paddling the boat as fast as they could so they could reach the finishing line within the shortest time. The spectators cheered lively for their favorite team. After the incense had burned halfway through, the leading team crossed the finishing line, making them the winning team. A hamper was given to the winning team afterward while Mr. Ping and Li Shan started distributing zongzi for everyone present.

 _ **Meanwhile with the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five…**_

"Do you guys think the bandits would come to the village?" Monkey asked the rest, who only shrugged in response. Monkey then turned towards Po, waiting for his response. Instead of getting anything from the panda, Po only stared onto the ground as they were patrolling the village.

"Po, are you alright? You have been rather quiet since morning." Viper asked the Dragon Warrior. Po stopped in his tracks and stood firmly on the ground. The Furious Five looked back at their comrade, baffled by his action.

"You guys can go ahead. I have something to tell Tigress." Po spoke in a worried tone. The Furious Five, other than Tigress, looked at each other, then turned away from the panda and resumed their duty. Both warriors then went to Mr. Ping's restaurant and entered the kitchen.

"Tigress, my dads asked Master Shifu." Po stuttered. "About our marriage."

Tigress nodded at him, causing him to gulp.

"Master Shifu accepted their proposal. We're getting married soon." Po blurted out and looked away from Tigress.

Tigress smiled at her partner and hugged him, catching him off guard.

"I know. When I saw you pass me by in deep thought, I felt something was off. I went to look for Master Shifu later at night and saw the wedding gifts in his room. He had already explained everything to me." She comforted him. Po came back to his senses after a while and returned the hug to the tiger.

"Aren't you mad, or something?" Po whispered into Tigress's ears.

"No, why should I be?" Tigress pulled way from the hug and stared into Po's eyes. "Isn't that what you wanted in the first place? Don't tell me you changed your mind." She then looked away from the panda, playfully. Po beamed at his partner and hugged her from behind.

"Of corse, I'll marry you. You will be stuck with this panda for the rest of your entire life." He said joyfully. Tigress chuffed happily, and Po released her from the hug.

"Come on. Let's go out and join the rest." Tigress opened the door, and the two warriors left the restaurant.

 ***zongzi – stick rice dumpling**

 ***Duanwu – Dragon Boat Festival**


End file.
